With the appointment of Victor Osipov as Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Matters in September 2009, a change in the approach toward the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict has occurred and a series of successes have been attained in a quite short period of time, stated Radu Vrabie, program director of the Foreign Policy Association, at the launch of his survey titled “The Transnistrian Issue and Moldova's European Integration: EU's Role”, Info-Prim Neo reports.

The expert said that a proof of the progress were the regular meetings between the political actors of Chisinau and Tiraspol in the course of 2010.

In his survey, Radu Vrabie remarks that the meetings between Vladimir Filat and Igor Smirnov made it possible for the resumption of the train circulation between Chisinau and Odessa via Tiraspol, which has benefited the businesses engaged in export on the eastern side of the Nistru, among other benefits.

Radu Vrabie thinks that the signing of the border agreement between Romania and Moldova will also be an argument for the authorities in Tiraspol to abandon the stereotypes related to the so-called “Romanianization” of Moldova.

The author also remarks the increased interest of the foreign actors in settling the Transnistrian conflict, including on the part of Russia.

Vrabie recommends the authorities in Chisinau to intensify the political dialogue, to contribute to the resumption of the official negotiations in the 5+2 setting, to enhance security in the region and consolidate the confidence building measures. He also says that Moldova and the EU need to intervene in matters related to human rights in the region.